50:50
by M. Marchand
Summary: A Sequel to A Heavy Heart. Charlie struggles with his reaction to the results of Don's and Alan's medical tests.
1. Chapter 1

Acknowledgements:  
Omi as always  
Susan for reminding me I purposefully left this open for an AHH sequel  
Kate the wunderbeta for near instant feedback and constant support  
Jen for checking my medical portions and being understanding when  
I chose to ignore her advice and do it my way  
Keyla for supporting AHH from the beginning 

Disclaimers:  
"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" - Willow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
I do not own the characters Charlie, Don, or Alan nor do I have any rights  
to anything related to the TV show Numb3rs. I plead fair use and claim  
only my own writing and characters.

* * *

Chapter One:

Don tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator slowly rose to the 6th floor of the hospital. Once the door opened, he exited quickly, turning his head both ways to figure out where to go.

He spotted Charlie further down, standing and talking to a nurse, making apologetic gestures while she looked pointedly at her watch.

"I'm here! Sorry I'm late," Don called out, jogging up to them before the nurse could walk away.

"Don! I'm glad you made it." Charlie put a hand on his brother's arm in greeting, which his brother returned. "Rough case?"

"Rough traffic!" Don said, a little out of breath. "I should have known better than to think I could get here in 45 minutes from Wilshire! I ended up having to run here from the parking structure down the street because the hospital lot was full."

"Well, Mr. Eppes, let's get you set up. There's still just enough time for your appointment so you're fine. Just try to relax and get your heart rate back down to normal for the procedure, all right?"

The nurse led them to a nearby room and shut the door behind them, drawing the curtain to block the view to the door afterwards. She pressed the controls to raise the back of the hospital bed.

"You'll need your shirt off but that's it. You can even keep your shoes on."

Don shrugged out of his jacket. Charlie took it from him and hung it carefully on a nearby hook. Don removed his tie and tossed it on one of the chairs only to have Charlie retrieve it and hang it carefully as well.

He removed his shirt and undershirt and put them on the hooks next to his coat himself. Finally bare-chested, he sat on the hospital bed nervously.

The nurse had switched her attention to the machinery beside the bed and after checking everything out, she looked up to find Don ready. "Good. I'll go get the doctor. Relax. Just try to breathe normally and your heart rate should be back down by the time he arrives."

Don nodded his understanding and the nurse left.

Don laid his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes. "Relax, she says. Yeah right."

"Just breathe..." Charlie said soothingly, laying his hand on Don's forehead and resting it there.

"Dad used to do that when I was a kid and couldn't sleep," Don mumbled.

"For me too," Charlie said softly. "Always worked for me."

Don took a deep breath and let it out, finally allowing himself to sink into the bed beneath him.

He was silent for a few minutes as he rested, the warmth and weight of his brother's hand calming him.

"You didn't have to come with me today," Don said quietly.

"Of course I did," Charlie said kindly. "No matter what the doctor tells you I didn't want you to hear it alone."

Don's eyes flickered open and he looked up at Charlie as he removed his hand.

"It'll be good news, Charlie, don't worry. The odds are 50:50 for children to inherit HCM. 1 in 2, right? Since you have it..."

"Your odds are still exactly 50:50," Charlie interrupted. "Just because one out of two offspring inherits the genetic mutations that cause HCM doesn't mean the other doesn't. We both had a 50:50 shot and I ended up on the unlucky side. I just don't want you to too."

"Charlie..." Don reached over and grabbed Charlie's hand. "I was going to say God wouldn't do that to Dad. He wouldn't take Mom, almost take you, and give both of us the same heart ailment. I don't think he's that cruel."

"What, taking Mom wasn't enough?" Charlie said, a little bitterly.

"Charlie..." Don squeezed his brother's hand. "It's not hard to believe that it might just have been her time to go."

Charlie just shook his head and pulled his hand away.

"Do you regret your decision?" Don asked tentatively. "To stay with me... to stay here rather than go be with her."

"No," Charlie said firmly.

"But that doesn't mean you don't miss her more now than ever, am I right?" Don tried to catch a glimpse of his brother's expression, but he hid it behind his curls as he looked away and shrugged noncommittally.

Don started to say something but was interrupted by the door opening as the doctor entered.

"Don, nice to see you again." The doctor walked over and shook Don's hand. "Charles, how are you feeling these days?" He reached across and shook Charlie's hand as well.

"Fine," Charlie said. "I'm doing fine. Is it all right if I stay with Don during the procedure?"

"As long as Don approves..." The doctor looked at Don who nodded his acquiescence. "Then let's get started."

Charlie subtly moved back closer to Don and this time it was Charlie who took his brother's hand and gave it a squeeze. Don returned the squeeze, grateful for the support. He'd known that he needed this echocardiogram for weeks; that it was the definitive test to confirm or deny the presence of the heart muscle thickening that was the hallmark of HCM. The doctors had used the ultrasound of Charlie's heart only weeks early to confirm that he had the condition. Even though he and his father had secretly agreed to postpone having the test done until Charlie was healthy enough to bear the brunt of the possible bad news, Don was finding the last few seconds of waiting to be far more painful than all the weeks before them combined. The doctor's prognosis could lift a great weight from his shoulders or settle one there for the rest of his life.

The doctor spread the conductive gel over Don's chest area and brought the ultrasound wand to his skin. Don had expected it to be cold and was a bit surprised to find that everything was warm.

The doctor moved the wand around slowly, watching the screen in front of him, which was tilted away so that neither Don nor Charlie could see it. The doctor had such an intense look of concentration on his face both men were on edge, waiting for him to speak.

Finally, the doctor pulled the wand away and turned to face the brothers.

"I see no thickening of the heart muscle on the echocardiogram, so based on that I feel confident in saying you appear to have no signs of HCM."

Don smiled in relief and Charlie stuttered, "That's... that's great news... great news... thank you."

"My pleasure," the doctor said as he handed Don a towel to wipe the gel off his chest. "When I was looking at your chart I didn't see the results of the genetic testing we did earlier."

"Neither my father or I have heard anything on those," Don admitted as he cleaned off his chest.

"I'll ask someone to call the lab and find out what happened. Those should have come back already."

The doctor shook Don and Charlie's hands again. "Nice to be able to deliver good news to your family!"

"Oh yeah!" Don said, grinning. "I'm all for good news."

The doctor left the room and Don got up and put his undershirt on.

"That's great... That's really great news..." Charlie sounded like a bit of a broken record and when Don looked at him his expression was so mixed up, he just pulled him into his arms for a hug.

"It's over, Charlie. I don't have it. You can relax now." Charlie returned the embrace, strongly enough to surprise Don.

"Can't relax yet," Charlie muttered into Don's shoulder. "There's still Dad."

Don just held his brother. "Don't worry about Dad. He's strong. Nothing can stop him."


	2. Chapter 2

50:50 2/6

* * *

Chapter Two:

Alan stood in the stillness of his family home, staring at a piece of paper. He'd just been going through the mail and suddenly there it was, a reminder that he had almost lost his youngest son.

During Charlie's hospitalization, Alan had gotten used to seeing medical paperwork. Once Charlie came home though, Alan made sure to keep it all out of sight. It was already stressful enough for all of them to think of what almost happened. Alan had tried to put it behind him but every few days a reminder popped up and he was back in that operating room watching his son die.

"Dad? Are you home?" Don walked in the front door and looked around.

"I'm here, Donnie." Alan walked over and the two men embraced. "Tell me you have good news."

Charlie walked in saying, "No mail. Dad must have gotten it already... Hey Pop!"

Alan embraced Charlie as well. He'd been doing it far more often since Charlie's recovery but neither son seemed to mind the extra affection, in fact Alan had seen the two boys become more affectionate with each other as well.

"Yeah, I got a clean bill of health. Doc found no signs of HCM!" Don said, proudly.

"Donnie, that's great!" Alan said happily, putting his arm around Don and pulling him close.

"Now we just have to get you checked out," Charlie said.

"Actually I went this morning and passed with flying colors myself. No sign of HCM according to the doctor."

Both Don and Charlie were shocked.

"Dad, that's great! Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Don couldn't help but hug his father again.

"But I thought your appointment wasn't until tomorrow!" Charlie looked confused. "I said I'd go with you."

"Well they had a cancellation so they snuck me in early," Alan said, dismissing the protest with a wave of his hand. "I was fine on my own."

"I would have still gone with you," Charlie continued. "I could have easily gotten out of class if you'd just called me."

"Charlie! It was just a little test! I went, they did it, I'm fine! Let's just be happy, okay?"

Don looked and saw that mixed expression on Charlie's face again. "You all right, buddy?"

"Yeah, yeah... I just... yeah, I'm fine." Charlie stammered then fell quiet.

"Hey, we should go out for dinner tonight and celebrate the good news! How about Pietro's?" Alan asked.

"Dad, we don't have to pick restaurants just because they have good heart healthy menus. I can eat whatever I want in moderation." Charlie seemed a bit sullen, reminding Don of his odd behavior at the hospital earlier.

"But you like Pietro's!" Alan said.

"How about El Portal?" Don offered. "I'm up for some good Mexican! How about you, buddy?"

"Mexican sounds great," Charlie said, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Good, then it's settled. I have to call the office to follow up on a case but we can leave any time after that if you guys want to eat early and beat the rush," Don pulled out his cell phone and headed for the stairs. "Mind if I use the solarium?"

"No, go right ahead..." Alan said. "Unless Charlie, did you need it?"

"No, no... Go ahead," Charlie said, wandering off to go sit in the living room.

Don and Alan exchanged confused glances before Don headed upstairs.

Alan picked up the piece of paper he'd been looking at earlier and walked over to sit across from Charlie.

"Charlie, I have to ask you about something."

"What?" Charlie asked, obviously distracted.

"I opened this envelope from Exagen, the lab that's doing the genetic testing for the three of us."

"Yeah."

"Charlie, the invoice is for $11,000!"

"So?"

"The invoice says it's been paid in full! With a check!"

Charlie shrugged. "Insurance doesn't pay for genetic testing."

"Charlie!" Alan said, annoyed. "That doesn't matter. You shouldn't be paying my medical bills or Don's! I mean, I know Don doesn't make as much as you do..."

Charlie interrupted his father. "Dad, first of all $5,000 of that bill is for my test. Yours and Don's portions are only $3,000 each. I can make that much consulting on just one case for Don so why shouldn't I pay it? The money means nothing to me, or did you forget so quickly that I bought this house from you with cash?"

Alan was taken aback by Charlie's tone and replied coolly. "Well, I assumed that you had to empty your savings accounts to buy this house. It certainly wasn't cheap!"

Charlie got up slowly. "Well, I didn't. My retirement accounts are fully funded and my investment portfolio is still quite healthy." He headed for the stairs. "Tell Don I'm going to go lay down for a while before dinner."

"Charlie!"

Charlie ignored his father and simply continued up the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

50:50 3/6

* * *

Chapter Three:

Don bounded down the stairs, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from him. They finally knew for sure, well as sure as they could be without the confirmation from the genetics lab, that neither he nor his father had the HCM that had almost killed Charlie.

He spied his father sitting in the living room and headed over. "I'm all done and ready to go. Where's Chuck?"

"Charlie went upstairs to lay down for a while." Don's mood instantly shifted when he saw his father's expression.

"Is he okay?"

"Charlie? I'm sure he's fine. Maybe a little tired but fine." Alan folded up the paper in his hands and tossed it on the coffee table.

Don, ever observant, reached down and snatched up the paper before his father could stop him.

"$11,000?" Don was incredulous. "For three tests?" He looked more closely at the bill. "It says paid though. I thought none of our insurance companies paid for genetic testing."

"They don't." Alan stood up and took the document back from Don. He walked over to his desk and put it in the appropriate file.

"Then..."

"Your brother paid for all three," Alan said, his back to Don. "We argued about it. He went upstairs."

"Dad..." Don began but didn't know what to say.

"I know, I shouldn't have argued with him. I just..." Alan shook his head. "There's something bothering him and he won't talk to me. I guess I was frustrated about that and kind of took it out on him over that stupid bill."

Don sighed. "He won't talk to me either. Today at the hospital... I don't know... He was... I mean I know he was happy about the test results. He just didn't really seem that happy." Don paused. "I know he was happy to hear about yours too, but somehow the same news is also making him miserable."

Alan turned to face Don. "I can't imagine why. I mean, it's not like he wanted us to have HCM! What possible reason could he have for that?"

Alan stood for a moment staring out the windows into the backyard. "I think I'll go water the plants. I need some fresh air."

Alan gave Don's shoulder a squeeze as he passed him and went out into the backyard.

Don sat in one of the chairs and watched his father putter about in the garden. He'd been trained in profiling at Quantico and even though it wasn't his specialty, he understood enough about psychology to analyze his brother's behavior.

Charlie had been reflective and sometimes sad when they'd brought him home from the hospital. Don knew he'd been hit hard by his situation, but more so by seeing their mother again and essentially losing her a second time.

Once he'd started recovering, he seemed like himself again, positive and upbeat, ready to take on the challenges his new life brought to him.

When the echocardiogram tests had been scheduled though, Charlie had turned quiet again. He'd been less present, choosing to stay in his room more, and he'd been less affectionate. Charlie was hiding from them and Don couldn't figure out why.

Don decided to work the hypothesis through. Rather than try to figure out if Charlie was really happy or not he decided to assume he wasn't and try to figure out why. Was there really any benefit to Don or their father having HCM?

The phone rang beside Don, startling him out of his reverie. "I've got it!" he yelled before he picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

Alan stuck his head in from the backyard. "Who is it?" he said quietly, trying not to disturb Don.

"This is Don Eppes," Don said into the receiver before covering it and whispering to Alan, "It's Exagen!"

Alan came in, closing the door behind him. He stood in front of Don, anxiously awaiting the news.

"Yes, you have authorization on file for any one of us to hear the results of all three tests."

Don put his hand over the receiver again. "The hospital called them. They were supposed to have mailed out our test results last week. They apologized for the screw up and are checking to see if it's okay to give them out over the phone."

Alan nodded and Don went back to the call.

"Yes, they're for Charles, Alan and Don Eppes. All three..." Don listened for a few seconds and then a big smile broke out on his face.

"Thank you!" he said, seeing his father begin to smile in understanding. "Thank you very much!"


	4. Chapter 4

50:50 4/6

* * *

Chapter Four:

Don stood outside Charlie's bedroom door, ready to knock. The genetic test results had come in and provided the final confirmation that neither he nor their father had HCM. He raised his hand to knock, but something stopped him.

Before the call, Don had been trying to figure out what reason Charlie could have for wanting his family members to have HCM.

Don left Charlie's door and walked into his old bedroom. He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. He tried to use his training to see the world through Charlie's point of view.

'I'm a genius mathematician,' Don thought. 'I grew up too fast, I'm younger than everyone around me, I crave a normal life that I'll never have...'

Don ran through his brother's past in his head, trying to prepare himself to analyze the present.

'I have this great life, with a job I love, a woman I'm attracted to, a family that loves me and then pow. I pretty much drop dead and have to be revived. I'm suddenly put on a restricted diet and I have to change my whole lifestyle. On top of it my family might have the same health problem."

Don lay there for some time trying to think of any logical reason why Charlie would think that was a good thing.

After getting nowhere, Don finally had an epiphany. Charlie had talked about Chaos Theory once and said, "When thinking logically appears to be getting you nowhere, try thinking illogically and then negating it."

Don started running through the most illogical statements he could think of.

'I hate my family, I want them to die. I don't care if they're sick since they don't care about me. I went through a lot of pain and agony and so should they. If I'm stuck with a lifelong disability, they should be too.'

Something hit Don. When he was on the phone with Exagen, the man giving him the results had said, "Charles alone is the carrier of the mutated genes. The tests on Don and Alan were both normal."

Alone. Charlie had been alone all of his life, always different from those around him. He'd never felt like he fit in with the rest of the family and now... Now he had a medical condition that made him even more of an outsider in his own family. If Don or even their father had had the condition as well, Charlie finally wouldn't be alone. He'd have something in common with them, something they could bond over, no matter how tragic it was.

But Charlie wasn't the kind of selfish person to seriously wish ill on his family just to avoid alienation.

'Which explains the mixed feelings', Don realized. Charlie felt sad to be alone, resentful that his family wasn't in it with him, and guilty for having those thoughts at all. All those feelings combined with how happy he truly was that his family was healthy and Don could finally see why Charlie had been having so much trouble relating to them lately. He couldn't show them his true feelings, yet he couldn't fully embrace the feelings he should be having.

"Damn it," Don said, sitting up. Understanding the problem didn't help him at all with a solution for it.


	5. Chapter 5

50:50 5/6

* * *

Chapter Five:

Don knocked on Charlie's door and waited.

"Come in."

Don walked in and sat on the edge of the bed Charlie was laying on.

"Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?"

Charlie gave a little shrug. "Fine. Just a little tired. You guys ready to go eat?"

"Not really. Listen, Charlie. We got a call from Exagen. The test results are in."

The flash of panic that crossed Charlie's face didn't go unnoticed by Don.

"And? You're both fine. The echocardiograms already showed that." Charlie tried to casually brush off the news, but Don could tell the same emotions from earlier were still there just under the surface.

"Well as we knew already, your test showed the genetic mutations that cause HCM. Exagen just looked for the same mutations in Dad and I."

"Right, since it's inherited it would look the same in me as it would in Dad since he, or Mom, would have been the one to give it to me."

"You didn't get it from Dad," Don said. "So apparently it came from Mom's side of the family."

Charlie let out a sigh of relief. "So Dad's test came back fine."

"It did," Don said. "It was mine that didn't."

"Wh-What?" Charlie stammered, not sure he heard him correctly.

"I have the same genetic mutations you do. We both have HCM." Don said it as plainly as he could, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.

"No... No... I mean, no, you can't..." Charlie sat bolt upright. "The echocardiogram! It showed! You were fine, you are fine!"

Don just shook his head. "It just showed I don't have any symptoms yet. I have the genetic mutations though so it's just a matter of time..."

"No!" Charlie got up and started pacing. "They're wrong! We'll have to do the test again. They screwed it up. They must have messed up our samples and tested me twice. We'll go down there, have them test you again..."

"Charlie..." Don stood up and tried to reach out to Charlie, but he brushed him off and kept pacing.

"No. Just no. This is not happening."

"Charlie, please," Don said, trying to get his attention. "At least we're in this together, right?"

"No!" Charlie said forcefully. "No! I never wanted that! I never wanted you or Dad to have this!"

"Of course you didn't, buddy. We know that. But now that we both have it you're not alone in this."

"I wish I was alone in this! I've always been alone. I can handle being alone. I can't handle the thought of losing you like I lost Mom."

"Charlie, Mom evidently had it and it didn't affect her life. Maybe I'll get lucky and have another decade or so before it hits me like it hit you."

"Mom..." Charlie finally stopped cold and stood still. "Mom died young and if that's the only reason she never found out she had HCM..." Charlie stared at Don. "She was a social worker and a mother. She didn't do anything stressful enough to trigger the symptoms like I did. Don, you're an FBI agent. Your job is constant stress! What if what happened to me happens to you? You just pass out in your apartment one night after work and no one finds you until days later?"

"Charlie, don't think like that!" Don took a step towards Charlie but he backed away.

"Why not? If I hadn't gotten lucky... If Larry hadn't found me in time... Don, I could be dead now. If it happens to you you might not be so lucky and I can't handle that. Dad can't handle losing you either. Not after all he's been through."

"Charlie, Dad's tough. You're tougher than you realize."

"No! I'm not!" Charlie practically yelled. Don took a step back, surprised. Charlie suddenly deflated and leaned up against the wall behind him, sliding down to sit on the floor. "I'm weak. I've been thinking awful things and but I just can't help it."

Don went over and crouched down in front of Charlie, close enough to touch him but not too close to crowd him.

"What kinds of things, buddy?"

Charlie was silent a moment, staring off into space, breathing ragged as if he was fighting down the strong emotions inside and failing.

"I didn't mean it," he said quietly.

"I'm sure whatever it was you didn't mean it, Charlie. You can't help the random thoughts your mind comes up with. All that matters is that you don't act on them. Take me for example. When I have my gun trained on a murderer there's a part of me that wants to just say forget the courts, let me shoot him right here and get it over with. But I know that thought is wrong so I ignore it. It doesn't mean I don't have those thoughts. I just know that I'd never actually feel that way."

"Really?" Charlie said, almost hopefully.

"So whatever you've been thinking, it's just a normal by-product of your mind trying to deal with what's going on in your life. It doesn't mean that's how you really feel." Don reached out and put a hand on Charlie's knee. "Tell me what it was you were thinking."

Charlie paused, looking uncomfortable, but finally mumbled, "I wished that you or Dad could also have HCM. See? That's a horrible and mean thought and I shouldn't have been having it."

"Actually it makes a lot of sense," Don said thoughtfully.

"What?" Don could tell by Charlie's expression that that was the last thing he expected to hear.

"No, I get it. You're alone in all of this and if say, Dad had it as well, you'd bond over it. You'd both be on special diets, you'd both look out for each other and worry about each other... If you both had it then I'd be the one on the outside, the one who was different. I think I'd feel kind of... left out I guess. So yeah, I can see the positive side of it."

"But there isn't any positive side!" Charlie wailed. "No matter how much easier it would make this for me it's not worth having either of you sick! I know that now! It hurts so much more to know you're sick too than it could ever hurt to be alone!"

Charlie put his head in his hands. "It hurts so much, Donnie. I'd give anything for you not to have this. I'm so sorry."

Don's heart broke to see Charlie so sad and he couldn't keep up the charade any longer. He pulled Charlie's hands away from his face and forced him to look at him.

"That's what I wanted to hear. Actually that's what you needed to hear yourself say."

"What are you talking about?" Charlie looked confused.

"Charlie, I don't have HCM."

Charlie's confusion grew and he shook his head. "But you said..."

"I lied. Exagen did just call but they confirmed that both my test and Dad's came up normal. We're both fine."

For a split second Charlie just sat there stunned. Then, with a speed that surprised Don, he launched himself at his brother and nearly tackled him in a hug.

"You don't have it, you don't have it..." Charlie kept repeating as Don struggled to keep them both from falling over.

"I don't have it, Charlie, I promise you. You can even call Exagen and have them confirm the test results. I swear." Don held on to his brother, smiling.

Charlie finally pulled back enough to look Don in the face. "You swear?"

"I swear! A copy of the results is going in the mail today in case you don't believe me."

"You bastard!" Charlie said, giving Don a playful shove in the shoulder as he grinned. "You lied to me!"

"Well, I had to know what was eating away at you," Don explained. "I did some thinking after I saw your reaction to my and Dad's echocardiograms..."

"You profiled me?" Charlie huffed good-naturedly.

"Well, yeah," Don admitted. "You're a tough nut to crack, I tell you. I even had to use Chaos Theory, but I finally figured out why you were feeling so guilty." Don squeezed Charlie's arm and looked at him seriously. "Charlie, you need to know that it was okay for you to think that way. I know you didn't mean it and you know you didn't mean it so you've got to forgive yourself for thinking that way, okay?"

"Okay," Charlie said, swallowing hard. He paused for a second and then looked up at Don with a questioning expression. "Chaos Theory, huh? They teach you that at Quantico?"

Don grinned. "No, I've got my own teacher for that kind of stuff and he does a great job."

Charlie chuckled at that. "Does he now?" He stood up, offering Don his hand. "Let's go."

Don took his hand and stood up. "El Portal awaits?"

"Yeah," Charlie said with a smile. "We've got something to celebrate."


	6. Epilogue

50:50 6/6

* * *

Epilogue:

"Would you like to see the dessert menu?"

Don and Alan both hesitated then shook their heads but Charlie piped up and said, "Yes, we would."

The waitress left to fetch the menus and Charlie looked at both of them. "What? We're supposed to be celebrating!"

"I didn't say anything!" Don put up his hands in mock surrender.

Alan let out a little sigh. "Well I suppose with how good we've been eating at home lately, one special dinner out won't hurt."

"Thanks, Pop. I knew I could get you to see things my way!" Charlie grinned. "Besides, I hate seeing you two skip out on dessert every time we eat out because you feel guilty that I'm not supposed to have any." Charlie turned and looked pointedly at Don. "No more feeling guilty."

Don smiled. "Fair enough. That means you guys are on your own, because I'm not sharing mine!"

The waitress returned and handed out menus to each of the men before departing. They all looked at their menus briefly, closed them up, and stacked them in the center of the table.

"Well, what can I get you gentlemen?" The waitress pulled out her pad and pencil and turned to Don first.

"I'll take the cheesecake."

"Cheesecake for me too," Alan said.

"And for you, sir?" The waitress turned to Charlie.

"I'll try the strawberry granita."

"Very good. Can I bring anyone coffee?"

"I'll take some," Don said.

"Decaf for me," Alan added.

"None for you, sir?" the waitress asked Charlie.

"I'm fine with water, thanks," he replied.

"I'll be right back with your order."

After the waitress left, Don raised an eyebrow at Charlie. "What, no cheesecake? You're the one who wanted dessert in the first place and I know you like El Portal's cheesecake."

Charlie shrugged. "I think I can live without cheesecake. In fact I'm pretty sure I've got a better shot at living longer without it," he chuckled. His expression then became more serious. "I guess I realize that it's worth giving up some things if it means I get to spend more time with you in the long run. I think I'd give up just about anything for that."

"What, even math? You'd give up math for us?" Don joked, pretending to be shocked.

"Don't push your luck!" Charlie joshed back, lightening up instantly.

"Charlie with no math..." Alan mused. "I just can't picture that. That'd be like... like... You know I can't think of anything."

Charlie laughed. "Doesn't matter. I have math, I have my health back, and I have my family."

"To family." Alan raised his glass and Don and Charlie lifted theirs up to clink them together.

"To family," they echoed and finished the toast with a drink.

"So you are going to let me have a bite of your cheesecake, aren't you Don?"

"Hey, talk to Dad! Like I said, I'm not sharing..."


End file.
